Vehicle-spring



2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

(No Model.)

E. B. SMITH."

VBHIGL-E SPRING.

Patented Se N. PETERS, Ph'nlnJ-Nlogriphen Waihinglom 0.0,

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

. E. B. SMITH.

VEHICLE SPRING. No. 389,609. Patented Sept. 18 1888-.

UNITED STATES EZRA B. SMITH, OF CINCINNATI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARRISON I).-

PATENT OFFICE.

EMERSON, OF COLLEGE HILL, OHIO.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,609, dated September 18, 1888.

Application filed December 10, 1887. Serial No. 257,417.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EZRA B. SMITH, of the city of Cincinnati, State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Venecting the torsion-rods with the side bars.

Fig. 5 is a top view of a pairof the preferred form of equalizing-rods. Fig. 6 illustrates one mode of attaching the coiled springs to the body. Fig. 7 is a view of the under side of a sidebar vehicle provided with the preferred form of my improvement. section of the device shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 illustrates the means for attaching the equalizing-rods and the spiral springs to the torsion-rods. Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the preferred form ofjournal-bearing for the torsion-rods. Fig. 11 illustrates the preferred form of spiral spring for use in the device. Fig. 12 is a cross-section of a buggy-body and side bars provided with my improvements, the body being unloaded. Fig. 13 is a View similar to Fig. 12, illustrating the action of the springs when the body is loaded. Fig. 14. is

aplan view of a modification of my device. Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a plan view of another by the same bolts which secure the bearing as a whole to the body. To prevent rattling, it

Fig. 8 is a cross (No model.)

is preferable that elastic gaskets b be placed between the cap I) and the block I).

Each rod A has rigidly attached to it, near its center, a short arm, S, projecting downward. To each arm S a spiral spring, S, is attached, the other'end of the spring being attached to the body by a suitable connection near the median line, or at a point between the adjacent torsionrod and side bar, or at any other suitable point on the body. The preferred form of spiral spring is that shown in Fig. 11.

Each torsion-rod A has rigidly attached to it, near each end, an arm, F, which extends downward and outward and upward, and is attached to the adjacent side bar, Z. Instead of separate arms F, the ends of the torsionarms may be bent outwardly and connect with the side bars, as shown in Fig. 7.

Near the middle of each rod A there is rigidly attached a cross-arm, G, which extends on both sides of the rod A. The cross arms G are so set that when the body is at rest they occupy a vertical position. The cross-arms of the two sides are connected by equalizingrods H. These equalizing-rods extend from the top of each crossarm to the lower end of the opposite cross-arm.

It is convenient to provide each equalizingrod H with a lateral boss, h, and this is most conveniently made by turning over the end of the rod, as shown in Fig. 5. This offset is a preferred provision for allowing the two bars to pass each other out of contact. Instead of the spiral springs S, I sometimes employ springs D, attached to the rods A near their centers and coiled about them, the other end of the spring being attached to a hook or bolt, E. The hook E, in the form shown in Fig. 2, passes through the bottom of the body and is held by the nut E, by means of which also the tension of the spring D may be regulated. In the form shown in Fig. 6 the hook E is placed between the spring and the edge of the body. In this position the hook is above and the nut below, so that the tension may be regulated from below the body instead of from within it.

The springs-I employ need not be limited to two, but one alone may be used; or a greater number of springs may be employed when desired.

In the foregoing description, whore reference is made to the vehicle-body, the term body is to be understood as indicating any and all of the braces and strengthening bars and pieces attached to the body, and to which it may be desirable to connect the devices herein described as connected to the body.

The mode of operation of the device is as fol lows: When the vehicle is at rest, the various parts occupy the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 12. When the body is weighted and descends, the bearings and rods A are depressed. This carries down the inner ends of the arms F, while the outer ends are held up by the side bars. This movement of the arms F imparts an inward rotation of the torsion rods A, which rotation is resisted by the springs D or S, according to whichever form is used. The resultant position is shown in Fig. 13. There the load is brought to bear on one side only of the body, the strain is first brought in the spring of that side; but the consequent movement of the torsion-rod of that side immediately imparts a corresponding movement in the torsion-rod of the opposite side through the medium of the equalizing-rods. Thus any strain is immediately equally distributed over the springs of both sides. Vhen an extra heavy strain is put upon the springs and this latter reaches its highest tension, the additional strain comes upon the rod A,which acts as a tension-spring, and thus saves the spring proper from being broken.

There are several evident modifications of the device which deserve special mention. Instead of two equalizing-rods, it is evident that one only is absolutely essential for the purpose of distributing the load,and when equalization is not desired the equalizing-rods may be omitted and the spring still be operative. Similarly a single spring will be operative if made sufiiciently strong; but a more comfortable vehicle is produced when two or more springs are employed.

The modification shown in Figs. 14 and 15 difi'ers from the device as illustrated in Fig. 7 in having the springconnections attached to the head'block in front and the axle behind instead of the side bars.

In the modification shown in Fig. 16 two independent sets of springs are employed-one on each side-attached to the head-block and axle. In this modification the torsion-rods are necessarily short.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a vehicle-body and rods held in bearings under the body, arms rigid with the rods and connecting w th the ad jacent side bars, a spring or springs imparting torsion resistance to the rods, and cross-arms rigidly attached to the rods and connected at opposite ends by equalizing rod or rods, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the vehicle-bodyflongitudinal rods A, supported in suitable bearings, arms F,con necting the rods with the side bars, arms S, springs S, cross-arms G, rigidly attached to the said rods, and diagonal equalizingrods H, connecting the arms G of one rod with those of the other rod, substantially as described.

3. The bearing consisting of the block 1), cap I), and elastic gasket I), placed between the said block and cap, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a vehicle-body, longitudinal torsion-rods, cross-arms rigidly attached to the torsion-r0ds,and obliquely-crossin g equalizing-rods connecting the cross-arms,

snbstantiallyas described.

5. The combination of a vehicle-body, longitudinal torsion-rods, crossarms rigidly attach ed to the torsion-rods and obliquely-crossing equalizing-rods H,having offsets hat their ends and connecting the crossarms, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a vehicle-body, longitudinal rods A, cross-arms G, equalizingrods H, arms S, and bellied springs S, substantially as described.

. EZRA B. SMITH.

Attest:

WM. E. JONES, CHAS. LUDLow. 

